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After dinner one night, Tick sat at his desk, his Journal of Curious Letters open before hied on the bed with his hands clasped behind his head Tick had told hi back on his norement and rally cries Tick suspected his dad knew more than he let on, but that he felt much like Paul did--it was up to Tick to solve the puzzle

"Go through your list again," his dad said "Everything we know needs to happen on May sixth"

Tick groaned "Dad, we’ve gone over this a ive it to e where he’d accumulated his conclusions "Okay, on May sixth, I need to be in a cemetery--any cemetery--with no one else there but all the dead people"

"That excludes h "I still don’t know if I’ to let you do this"

"Dad, it’ll be fine It’s probably a good thing you won’t be there, anyway--I’"

"Whoa, now that’s a drea "I need to be dressed waric words, with ht foot ten ti both of my hands in my pockets"

"Is that it?"

"That’s it"

His dad rolled into a sitting position on the bed with a loud grunt "All that’s pretty easy, don’t you think?"

"Wellyeah, except for one tiny thing"

"The ic words At this rate, Paul will be the only one of the three of us who gets todo whatever it is that’s gonna happen"

His dad scratched his chin, doing his best Sherlock Holmes impression "Son, it can’t be that hard Iand fun, but not really hard, you knohat Iout those who aren’t willing to stick with it Maybe I’ The seventh clue said most people would fail"

"Listen to me," his dad said, unusually serious "I don’t care what happens, and I don’t care who this Master George fancy lad froland is You’re not a schmoe, and you never will be You hear me?"

"Yeah, but" Tick’s eyes suddenly teared up and his heart seeht in stea hot soup instead of the usual blood It hit hi to solve the riddle of the ic words He’d analyzed the first letter fro had co him into his arms "I love you, kid You mean more to me than you can ever know, and that’s all that matters to me"

"Dad, no offense, butI mean, I really appreciate all your help" He pulled back fro and looked at his dad "I want this so bad I know it sounds du iht be able to save peoples’ lives"

"Then by golly we’ll figure it out, okay? Give me that jour--"